Baywatch
by Halsteadpd
Summary: Erin Lindsay can't swim, so was it smart to go to the beach? Edit: Originally stated it was a one-shot. It will be multi-chapter.


**Thank you to queseraone for talking about AUs with me last night because now I wrote one lmao. LINSTEAD FOR LIFE.**

**XXXXXXX**

Erin had no clue as to why she agreed. She didn't even know how to swim! But her friends were insistent that the whole sorority should be at Foster Beach for the year end party. At first, Erin had put her foot down and told her best friend Kim she wasn't going—there was no way the entire sorority _and_ fraternity that was sure to be there would see that she couldn't swim. But then Kim reminded her that it was their senior year and that they'd likely never get to party like this again. So begrudgingly, Erin went.

The sand burned the soles of her feet as she removed her flip flops. She, Kim, Stella, and Sylvie were the first to arrive from the sorority so they began to set up and clear space for the rest of the girls. Adam and Kevin were already there from the fraternity setting up the grills and music so the girls got to work next to them.

As more people began to show up, the set up finished faster, meaning Erin, Kim, Stella and Sylvie could finally relax. They lounged in their respective beach chairs, sipping on non-alcoholic drinks as they watched the waves crash onto the shore. The coast guard had already come by to give the young adults the spiel about having no alcohol on the beach, but Erin was sure somehow they would end up with it anyway.

The afternoon was just starting as everyone filled up their plates, danced to the music, and swam in the water. The girls watched some of the guys throw around a football as they gossiped about one of the girls in the sorority. She had a new boyfriend that she was tight lipped about and they were all trying to guess who it was.

As the party went on, Erin's worst fear materialized when she watched Kelly Severide approach his girlfriend. He picked her up bridal style and the girls watched as he took her over towards the water and dropped her in. They watched the couple laugh before Kelly helped Stella up. They walked hand-in-hand further into the water.

"We should go too!" Kim happily exclaimed. Her voice caught her boyfriend's attention and Adam dropped the football into the sand before he held out his hand for her. Casey did the same with Brett, leaving Erin sitting alone on the beach chairs with a pit forming in her stomach.

"We should go too." Chad said as he approached Erin's chair. He moved his sunglasses to the top of his head before looking down at her. Chad was also a senior that Erin had met in her freshman year. He had been pursuing her ever since, but he just didn't get the memo.

"No, I'm good. Thanks for the offer though." Erin said as he picked up her drink. She watched him at the corner of her eye and internally sighed when he didn't move. "You deaf or something?"

"No…" Chad replied. "Let's go into the water."

"I said I'm good." Erin said, with some finality in her voice.

"Why? What's wrong? Can't swim or something?" Chad teased as he picked Erin off her chair, just as Kelly had done earlier. As he turned around with Erin still in his arms, he was met with the unamused face of the lifeguard.

"She said she's good. Put her down." His arms were folded over his bare, freckled chest as he stared down the other man through his sunglasses. He had a no nonsense look on his face that Erin was thankful for.

Gently, Chad put Erin down on her feet. He approached the lifeguard and stared him down. "Don't you have better things to do?"

"This is my beach." The lifeguard removed his sunglasses as well, looking Chad in the eyes. "If you're here to harass women you can get the fuck out."

Erin watched with amusement on her face as Chad pumped out his chest and flexed his arms. She knew he would lose. He got into a fight during a party one night in their junior year and was pummeled. He doesn't have a fighting bone in his body. Not only that, but the lifeguard looked like he could snap Chad into two like a twig. Chad must've realized the same thing before he scoffed at the lifeguard and turned away.

"You okay?" The lifeguard asked as he approached Erin, concern in his eyes. Erin looked the lifeguard up and down. He was wearing red board shorts and had a whistle around his neck. Erin did a quick once over of his washboard abs and chiseled chest before her eyes rested on his biceps as he put his sunglasses back over his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm good." Her voice didn't sound like it usually did. It was too high pitched. "Thank you."

"Anytime. If he bothers you again, let me know. I'll deal with it." He smiled down at her before turning away, watching all the other beach goers. As he walked away, Erin couldn't help but draw her eyes down his back. She could see every individual muscle move with him as he swung his arms and her heart skipped a beat as she watched him interact with a baby that was wobbly on his feet.

"Hey…" Kim greeted as she made her way back to her chair, her hair wet. "You should've joined us. I saw Chad was trying to make the move again."

"I already told you before, Kim. I'm not going in the damn water."

As evening approached, the party was still going strong. Alcohol had definitely made it to the party and many of them were already on their way to drunk. Erin was surprised that nobody had noticed their inebriated state, but the buzz in her body felt good. She had only had one drink and that was her self-imposed limit.

As the sun began to cast an orange glow over the ripples in the water, Adam and Kevin got a fire started in the fire pit. It wasn't close to dark yet but they wanted to get a fire going. The day had been great, and Erin was glad that she decided to come. It was a nice way to wind down and not stress about anything.

In this distance, she watched Stella in Kelly's arms, where the tide would reach their feet. It looked relaxing.

Without a second thought, Erin vacated her seat and made her way over to the more damp sand. She liked the way it felt under her feet—it sure beat the burning sensation of the dry sand. Erin watched the tide come in. It engulfed her feet and ankles and she finally understood why people loved being in the water so much. She took a few hesitant steps forward so the water was up to her calves. She closed her eyes and relished in the feeling.

All of a sudden, she heard her name being called out behind her. She rolled her eyes, knowing it was Chad approaching. When she turned around, she realized how intoxicated he had become. He was barely able to keep his balance, but he came barreling towards her.

"I thought you didn't want to go into the water!" Chad yelled out, a smile on his face. Dread filled her body and in her periphery, she noticed Kelly had let go of Stella and was making his way over to stop Chad.

However, Kelly was too slow.

Chad had tried to place a sloppy kiss on Erin's lips, but she had moved backwards. Her life flashed before her eyes as she fell backwards, just as the tide came in. In a matter of seconds, she felt the water pulling her away from the shore, and away from Chad. He still had a smile on his face—he was laughing at the fact that she fell. In his drunken stupor, he didn't see the fear in her eyes.

Water began to whip at Erin's face, and she could no longer keep her mouth closed. She was panicking and she needed air. But when she opened her mouth, she felt the water going down into her lungs. She tried coughing to remove it, but as she did more water made its way into her mouth. She saw black spots beginning to cloud her vision before she blacked out.

She was sure she was dreaming. She could feel a pair of lips against her own but they didn't feel familiar. They were gone for a second, and then they returned.

When her eyes opened, she was looking into a somewhat familiar pair of eyes. She moved her gaze away from his and did a once over of his body, recognizing the washboard abs.

"Hey…" He said gently, rubbing her arm. "Welcome back, Erin."

"What?" Erin still had no idea what was going on.

"It's okay. Everything's fine." He reassured. "I'm Jay, I'm the lifeguard. We're going to move you onto your side, okay?" Gently, Jay moved Erin into the recovery position. As she looked around, she saw the concerned eyes of her friends around her. She quickly remembered falling into the water when Chad ambushed her. She didn't see him around and for that she was thankful. "Let's give her some room guys." Jay said as he followed her gaze. He kept a comforting hand on her arm, letting her know he wasn't leaving.

While she laid on her side, Erin coughed out some water from her lungs, which made it easier to breathe.

"Do you want to try sitting up for me?" Jay asked, knowing it would be easier for her to breathe that way. When she nodded her head, he helped her sit cross legged. He could see the dizziness in her eyes and let her regain her composure for a couple of minutes. The other lifeguard on duty had grabbed a towel and Jay wrapped it around her back. "Do you feel like you're getting more air into your lungs?"

Erin took a deep breath before responding. "Yeah." She took another deep breath. "It's not easy though."

"That's pretty normal. An ambulance is on its way and they'll be able to give you some oxygen." Jay looked around the beach and noticed they were still drawing a crowd. "How about we go over to the lifeguard station? It's a bit more private there." When she immediately nodded her head, Jay carefully helped her up and kept a hand on her lower back as they slowly walked towards the lifeguard station.

They sat side-by-side, as Jay listened to the sound of her laboured breathing before opening his mouth. "No offense, but your boyfriend is kind of an asshole."

Erin smiled and let out a small cough before replying. "He's not my boyfriend. He's just some guy I go to school with." When Erin looked up into Jay's eyes, she realized how they sparkled in the light. His wet hair was moped over to the side and his red board shorts clung to his legs. "Thanks for pulling me out."

"I mean, I kinda get paid to do it so it was my pleasure." They both gently laughed before the comfortable silence enveloped them again.

"It's not everyday that a cute lifeguard saves your life." Erin bit her lip, trying to suppress her smile.

"Well, it's not everyday that the cute lifeguard gets to save the most gorgeous girl he's ever seen." Jay didn't even try to hold back his smile. He could tell he was blushing and he hoped that this amazing girl in front of him would just think it was his sunburnt skin.

"And it's not everyday that the most gorgeous girl gives away her phone number." She watched as Jay's eyes literally turned into the size of saucers. He quickly got up from his seat and fumbled around the station, looking for his phone.

He looked down admiringly at the new contact in his phone as he stood by while the paramedics did their assessment. He looked up only to answer the medic's questions, and occasionally to sneak a glance at Erin. When they decided that she would likely need to stay at the hospital overnight for observation, Jay gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. He held onto her hand while the paramedics loaded her onto the gurney and then into the ambulance.

"I'll text you, okay?" He said as he stood on the outside of the ambulance.

"Okay." Erin replied nervously, looking around at the different things in the back of the ambulance.

"Hey." Jay's voice drew her attention back to him. "Everything's going to be alright." He winked and gave her his signature Halstead grin as he closed the back doors.

Not even ten seconds later, Erin heard her phone ping. She playfully rolled her eyes when she saw who the message was from. She let the paramedic do a recheck of her vitals as she looked down at the text from him, a small smile on her lips that seemed permanently etched there.

**XXXXXXXX**

**Don't forget to leave reviews!**


End file.
